Microsoft Explains Mystery Firefox Extension 142
Posted
by
Soulskill
from the barn-doors-and-horses dept.
from the barn-doors-and-horses dept.
Ricky writes with a followup to news we discussed a couple days ago that a Microsoft toolbar update was installing an IE add-on and a Firefox extension without the user's consent. Quoting Ars:
"Microsoft has fixed the distribution scope of a toolbar update that, without the user's knowledge, installed an add-on in Internet Explorer and an extension in Firefox called Search Helper Extension. Microsoft told us that the new update is actually the same as the old one; the only difference is the distribution settings. In other words, the update will no longer be distributed to toolbars that it shouldn't be added to. End users won't see the tweak, Microsoft told Ars, and also offered an explanation on what the mystery add-on actually does. 'The Search Enhancement Pack is a shared component used by the Windows Live Toolbar, MSN Toolbar, and Bing Bar. This component enables toolbar search functionality, like the toolbar search suggestions drop down. It is not the toolbar. It is a component used by the toolbars.'"
Re:English Doc? (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Always pushing... (Score:1, Informative)
If you use Windows Update, then Microsoft already has your consent to install software on your computer. And that consent isn't limited to any particular kind of software, either; by agreeing to the EULA, you've given them blanket consent to install whatever they think you should have.
Again? (Score:2, Informative)
Didn't they do a similar thing with a .net addon?
Oh yes, they did. [annoyances.org]
Re:English Doc? (Score:5, Informative)
Wrong. It got added to Firefox if any of the toolbars were detected on the system, even if it was for IE. So someone with an OEM install of Windows with an IE toolbar, but who never used IE, would still get the Firefox add-on forced upon him.
Now why Firefox would allow extensions to be installed from the outside without the user's permission is the question I have. That makes Firefox a good target for malware writers.
I suppose Firefox isn't running when this happens. So it can't block anything. Firefox can block addons to be installed if they are activated from a page that Firefox visits. This is a different situation. And if Firefox is running, it's probably possible to install something that is activated after a restart. And if it shouldn't, this is Windows, MS territory, and they may be able to do anything if they want to.
Re:English Doc? (Score:0, Informative)
This is Windows, MS territory, and they may be able to do anything if they want to.
Microsoft (and the NSA) have root access to your windows machine, just accept this as a fact of life, don't like it, move to Linux.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NSAKEY
Re:Always pushing... (Score:3, Informative)
http://www.frontmotion.com/Firefox/ [frontmotion.com]
Re:This made things worse (Score:1, Informative)
You know, all of these questions would be answered if you people read the fucking article. They did provide instructions on how to remove it.
Re:English Doc? (Score:3, Informative)
The toolbar doesn't have to be installed by you. If the Windows version is OEM, it might have been pre-installed by the manufacturer. And if you've installed a program that requires java, it might have installed java with the silent option, and the Yahoo toolbar is opt-out. And a plethora of other options, including it being installed and disabled. If you don't use IE at all, chances are you never noticed it.